USAID/FFP MONITORING MISSION TO EASTERN DRC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001150 SIPDIS SIPDIS AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP TMMCRAE AND CMUTAMBA; NAIROBI FOR ECA/FFP NESTES; KAMPALA FOR RFFPO DSUTHER AFREA AFRGHAI AHANS AMENGHETTI ARALTE BSILVERS DCHAAA DCHACMM DCHADG DCHAOFDA DCHAPPM DCHAPPMAMS DCHAPVC ECLESCERI GKACHRA JBORNS JESCALONA JHASSE JMAJERNIK KHUBER KODONNELL LBARBOUR LWERCHICK LWHITLEY MAWILLIAMS NNICHOLSON OAAT PEBALAKRISHNAN PMOHAN PPCDCO PPCMCA PPCP RLEE SBRADLEY SECPSP SPARKS THOMPSON TLAVELLE TRASH WHENNING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EFIN ETRD AMGT EFIN CF CG SUBJECT: USAID/FFP MONITORING MISSION TO EASTERN DRC -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. Summary. James F. Conway, Kinshasa-based Regional Food for Peace Officer (RFFPO),Simon Mutala, USAID/Kinshasa, Dan Suther, USAID/EA RFFPO, and Alex Deprez, Nairobi-based RFFPO, Visited North Katanga, North Kivu, and South Kivu Provinces from June 19-25, 2006 to evaluate the food security situation in these regions of DRC and to monitor USAID-supported food assistance programs. ¶2. Dan Suther visited the isolated Walikale and Masisi territories of North Kivu. Walikale is cut off by an impassible road to the capital and high insecurity, though ongoing repairs to the road may provide access by august. MSF-Holland currently accesses Walikale by airlift, and WFP provides food to Masisi transit centers for demobilized child soldiers. MONUC estimates the majority of remaining FDLR forces are located in North Kivu, as well as Laurent Nkunda's remaining forces. The evaluation Team noted clear evidence of FDLR control in the territories visited. WFP'S pipeline for assistance to these areas was slashed by 50% last year, impairing their ability to carry out programs in the area. ¶3. In Katanga, however, FHI has fully ramped up with a staff of 46 for its operations extending to Kabalo as well as Kalemie, Kongolo and Moba, and the second year food pipeline will be supported by a one-year supply via the Dar-es-Salaam to Kigoma route. A ration of 1535 calories per day is now available per person. A joint meeting in Kalemie with WFP, FHI and the FFP mission covered discussion of sectoral and geographical cooperation in North Katanga among the various actors. Mai Mai demobilizations in North Katanga have provided a more peaceful context than in other areas, and some IDPs are beginning to return. Rates of chronic and acute malnutrition in the area remain above crisis levels, at 38% and 13.4% respectively. ¶4. The current estimated IDP caseload of 800,000, of which 180,000 were added in 2006, may increase by as much as another 160,000 due to the potential for ongoing violence in the Kivus. In Katanga and the Kivus, displacement is more likely to result from continuing low-level conflict between the numerous and varied armed elements occupying the terrain than from disturbance around the elections process. Even if the situation stabilizes in the short term, however, malnutrition will continue to be an issue of concern in eastern DRC, with availability, access and utilization of food the cause. Additional resources will be needed for longer-term food security programs, but it is premature to shift the programs in these areas into development mode until the relief needs of the internally displaced, returnees and severely malnourished are met. -------------- North Kivu area -------------- ¶5. USAID/EA Regional Food for Peace Officer Dan Suther traveled to Walikale and Masisi territories of North Kivu province 20-21 June. Walikale remains an especially isolated area, with the main town and most of the territory completely inaccessible by road due to poor infrastructure and insecurity. WFP has since may begun an emergency school feeding program with 14 primary schools in the territory along the main Masisi-Walikale axis, up to around 40 km from Walikale town where the road becomes impassable. German Agro-Action (GAA) has been repairing this Masisi-Walikale road, and there are hopes that by August, Walikale town will once again become accessible, at which point aid organizations can extend deeper into the territory. Besides GAA, World Vision also works along this corridor, with MSF-Holland providing support in Walikale town (which it accesses by air). WFP also provides food to Masisi transit centers for demobilized child soldiers, whose former employers span virtually all of the various armed groups in North Kivu. ¶6. Regarding the upcoming elections, there appeared to be relative political freedom, as various party flags were flying throughout the towns and villages. Most people queried were hopeful and optimistic about elections, and were fairly open and vocal about the various candidates they supported. It appeared that Joseph Kabila was especially popular in the Masisi and Walikale territories, as people appeared to believe that he could bring peace and security to the area. KINSHASA 00001150 002 OF 003 ¶7. WFP's operation in North Kivu was struggling, with its Goma pipeline slashed in January from last year's 1,500 mt/month to the current 700 mt/month - in order to repay some USD $6.4 million from a WFP/Rome BPR advance of USD $19.9 million last year. All recovery activities have been suspended, and WFP is currently hard-pressed to support even critical emergency activities. WFP's eastern corridor pipeline requires urgent assistance to meet emergency needs, as well as to implement transitional recovery activities in the area. -------------- North Katanga area -------------- ¶8. During an interview, commissar of the district of Tanganyika, J. Rigobert Tshimanga Musungayi, displayed appreciation towards FHI's work. He is anxious to profit by the peaceful moment to solve the electricity (new generator) transport (dredging the port of Kalemie) and communications (restoring key connecting roads and rail systems) problems of his jurisdiction. Meetings with WFP, OCHA, SNCC and other civil authorities gave the mission an overall picture of the situation in the North Katanga. ¶9. FHI has completed its set up by assigning one full time expatriate project manager to Kalemie for the North Katanga, renting food storerooms, hiring 46 staff for the area, management teams in three locations and elaborating its beneficiary lists for North Katanga. ¶10. 65% of OCHA-estimated 38,000 IDPs are in Moba where FHI has launched its Food For Work (FFW) program. WFP has chosen to leave the area to FHI. Over 12,000 FFW beneficiaries in Moba have restored 55 km of the Moba-Lusaka axis and 230 km of roads cum bridges and culverts. 32% of the IDPs are in Kalemie and have also integrated into FHI activities of seed recovery, seed fairs and FFW. In Kalemie, Kongolo and Kabalo, FHI will do FFW and WFP will concentrate on nutritional feeding programs. In Kalemie, WFP will also use its food for training for women, and distribution to aid and pandemic disease victims. ¶11. Over one hundred demobilized Mai Mai soldiers in Kalemie from Gedeon's forces found the CONADER center closed and inoperative. FHI has agreed to integrate them into its FFW program, and their families have received some help from WFP vulnerable group feeding. -------------- WFP situation -------------- ¶12. WFP recent pipeline analysis shows that only 47 percent of the food needs estimated at the beginning of the year can be met with stocks available from June to November in the post election period. Shortfalls in maize meal and vegetable oil will mean that from July 2006, infants under five years old in supplementary and therapeutic feeding centers will be shorted. 250,000 school children are at risk. FFP in July 2006 has earmarked 19,000 mt valued CIF at USD $14 million for eastern DRC. EU has also earmarked an additional 4,400 mt in the same way. ¶13. Recovery operations by WFP in North Kivu have been suspended and 19 therapeutic feeding centers have been suspended due to lack of funding. In Kalemie, WFP monthly distributions are down to 500 mt in south Kivu 1300 mt/month out of an original 3600 estimated are able to be distributed, which represents 36 percent of its target. Almost no recovery programs were funded. -------------- Recommendations -------------- ¶14. FHI should ensure daily updated warehouse stock cards, beneficiary recipient signed cards, date of production/expiry on its commodities, close relations with local authorities, seed distributions timed to the first rainy season, and more senior management time in all four locations in the future. ¶15. FHI's logistical supply chain could use better coordination with WFP. Evidence of competition existed for use of the limited barges available to transport food across the lake from Kigoma, Tanzania to KINSHASA 00001150 003 OF 003 Kalemie, DRC. The same situation prevailed in delivery by truck by WFP and FHI to extended delivery points. WFP uses Kigoma as a hub and leverages storage for 6,500 mt at the port. A mutually beneficial agreement could be reached between WFP and FHI in these three aspects of storage, river transport and land transport, as well as cooperation in the Port of Dar-es-Salaam. ¶16. SNCC Kalemie planning engineers have programmed the arrival of two cargo trains a month from Kalemie to Kabalo at $.11/km/mt once the bridge is completed. The mission judged this to be an optimistic scenario. Belgian bilateral aid has given USD $2.5 million and restoration work on the bridge is under way. Completion may be achieved before the end of the year. The FFP mission traveled by train the 98 km from Kalemie to Nyemba (four hours one way) to inspect the progress on this bridge. Both FHI and WFP should use this new link as soon as it is possible. ¶17. To avoid a pipeline break and give time to include donors on the drafting of the new PRRO, the current PRRO was extended for one year, valued at USD $61 million and involving 58,000 mt of food. A carry-over of 36,000 mt is available so the total for the year will reach 94,000 mt. The FFP should insist that the year be used to draw up a quality PRRO for 2007-2009. The donors should be included at all levels to insure the quality of the new program. ¶18. MONUC'S contingency post-electoral plan targets 60 geographical areas based on experience and a matrix of 13 indicators, which focus areas of conflict and violence in the past. The MONUC plan targets education, livelihoods, and governance. FFP, through its partners, should give priority to these areas in programming. FFP can support the first two directly and the third indirectly within these 60 areas. ¶19. WFP should be encouraged to cancel certain activities in western Congo to assure resources are available to the prioritized 60 areas, most of which are in eastern Congo. Meece